Batman 614
"The Joke" is the 614th issue of the first ongoing Batman comic book series. It is the seventh of twelve chapters in the ""Hush" storyline that runs from issue #608-619. The issue was written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Jim Lee with Scott Williams on inks. Lee and Williams also provided the cover art illustration. It was colored by Alex Sinclair with Richard Starkings providing the lettering. The issue was edited by Bob Schreck. It shipped with a June, 2003 cover-date and a retail price of $2.25 (US) per copy. Synopsis Batman flies into a rage and begins pummeling the Joker. The Joker keeps muttering the word, "Stop", but Batman isn't listening to him. Harley Quinn tries sneaking up behind him with a giant hammer, but Batman sidesteps the blow, and Harley accidentally smashes the Joker's arm with the hammer. Batman gives Harley a kick to the gut to get her out of the way, then continues to beat on the Joker. Images of Barbara Gordon, Jason Todd and Sarah Essen flash through his mind – all victims of the Joker. Catwoman, slowed by the bullet lodged in her shoulder, attempts to restrain Batman with her whip. She recognizes the look in the Dark Knight's eyes, and realizes that he plans on killing the Joker. Batman swings about, punching Catwoman in her wounded shoulder. The shock from the pain causes her to slump over. As Batman continues to wail on the Joker, former police commissioner James Gordon shows up behind him. He draws his weapon and fires two warning shots, telling Batman to calm down and think it through. Gordon is horrified as he realizes Batman already has thought it through. He coaxes Batman away from the Joker, reminding him that he is about to cross a line that can never be forgiven, and that if Batman becomes a killer, Gordon will lead the hunt for Batman himself. Shocked that the only other man who could want the Joker dead more than Batman himself wants him to live, Batman calms down, and the Joker is taken away. From a rooftop high above, Hush witnesses the event while flipping a scarred silver dollar in his hand. Talking to himself, he admits that the Joker was actually innocent in the death of Tommy Elliot. Appearances * Batman * Catwoman * James Gordon * Clayface * Harley Quinn * Hush * Joker * Barbara Gordon * Robin, Jason Todd * Sarah Essen-Gordon * None * Humans * Mutated humans * Gotham County :* Gotham City :* Gotham City Opera House * Catwoman's whip * Two-Face's silver dollar * None * None Notes & Trivia * This issue is reprinted in the ''Batman: Hush'' hardcover and trade paperback collections as well as the ''Batman: Hush'', Volume 2 hardcover and trade paperback collections. It is also reprinted in the 2005 Batman: Hush: Absolute Edition hardcover slipcase edition. * This issue shipped as a direct edition and a newstand edition. * The tagline for this issue is "Punch Line". Contextually the phrase has a double meaning, as a "punchline" is the end of a joke, and also because Batman punches the Joker during the course of this issue. * This is the first issue of ''Batman'' with Dan DiDio as executive editor. * Clayface appears as Thomas Elliot's corpse in this issue. This fact is not revealed until ''Batman'' #619. * Hush makes a brief appearance at the end of this issue. He is seen flipping a scarred silver dollar - the trademark of the villain known as Two-Face. Issue #615 reveals that this is in fact Harvey Dent and not Hush. * Flashbacks involving some of the Joker's more notable crimes: he crippled Barbara Gordon in Batman: The Killing Joke, killed Jason Todd in ''Batman'' #428, and murdered Sarah Essen-Gordon in the "No Man's Land" storyarc. Recommended Reading See also External Links ---- Category:Batman Vol 1 Category:2003/Comic issues Category:Batman: Hush/Issues Category:Comic issues with plot summaries